If you usually have a beautiful green lawn in your backyard, it can be frustrating when your dog inadvertently ruins it! Urine stains are one of the biggest complaints from dog owners, while even though they love their pets, these yellow or brown patches are unsightly.
Then there’s the dog poo that you don’t want to come across unexpectedly, as well as bare patches, running tracks around the fence line, holes in the lawn and mud that can be traipsed through the house. So, let’s take a look at all these problems and find some of the best solutions for fixing the grass in your back garden.
Urine stains: The dead patches in your lawn comes from nitrogen in your dog’s urine that literally burns the grass. However, if you look closely you can often see a ring of lush grass growing around the dead patch. This is because in smaller amounts, nitrogen is a fertiliser. Solutions include training your dog to urinate in a fenced off mulched area without grass or planting clover instead of grass as it’s more resistant to nitrogen. Hosing the grass immediately is another solution, as is increasing the amount of wet food in your dog’s diet to naturally dilute the nitrogen in their urine.
To encourage your dog to embrace good clean habits, washing him regularly is a good idea. Creating a custom dog shower in your bathroom or laundry will make it easier to clean him. And with good habits, ideally your furry friend will learn to do his business when he’s going for walks, rather than at home.
Dog poo: Spotting landmines of dog poo on your lawn is a problem, but not finding them and stepping in them is even worse. The solutions are the same for brown urine patches, in that you can train your dog to use a mulched or grass free area. Picking up the poo immediately and hosing the area down is also effective.
Bare or muddy patches: Dead grass from urine can end up as bare patches in your lawn, which can eventually turn into bare muddy patches when you water the grass, or it rains. The solution is to reseed these areas, but you need to keep your dog away to give the grass time to grow.
Running tracks: Bored dogs tend to run around the fence lines, barking at the neighbours or other dogs, and end up creating running tracks. The best solutions are to walk your dog before and after work, as well as giving them toys to play with when you are at work. You can also give them a Kong dog chew that you fill with food or treats to keep them occupied when you are at work.
Holes: Digging holes is another way that dogs treat their boredom, but it’s also a way to find a lovely cool spot for a nap in the hot Aussie summer. Giving them a designated area where they can dig is one solution, providing them with an outdoor bed in a cool shady spot is another.
Synthetic Grass Is the Ultimate Solution
If you have a dog that’s causing a lot of damage to your lawn, the ultimate solution is to install synthetic pet grass instead of natural grass. With the rapid pace of technology, synthetic grass not only looks just like natural grass, but it’s also much more durable and long lasting. It will not bleach if your dog does urinate on it, and they can’t dig holes, make bare patches, or running tracks. Your pet also won’t end up covered in mud whenever it rains, saving you the time and effort of having to constantly clean and bath them.
Synthetic grass can be installed in large or small areas, even patios and balconies and it is extremely low maintenance. It’s really the ideal solution for dog owners!
